Progeny
by Tentaculiferous
Summary: Joining their sparks in eternal union, and creating another skilled soldier for the Decepticon Cause, is only logical. Shockwave and Soundwave arrange a practical marriage, and decide to create offspring together. WaveWave, Shockwave/Soundwave, mechpreg, mpreg.
1. Chapter 1

Finally uploading this here~

* * *

The dwarf planet Ucruna, the latest celestial body fortunate enough to join the Decepticon Empire, had four suns that shed their light down on the planet's blistered surface. There was no true "night" here.

Yet not a ray of that omnipresent light was shining in the windowless command room where the conquerors sat—where most of them sat, anyway.

Starscream was standing, his shrill voice echoing off the command center walls, his blue fingers splayed on the table as he leaned over to be better heard by their leader.

Or so Shockwave surmised, as he stared at the Seeker in his usual horrified fascination. Was the mech under the impression their audials were damaged? There was no reason to express oneself at such a volume otherwise. Shockwave's brief foray into psychological research (he had undertook the sufficient amount to ensure he could obtain adequate cooperation between mech resources, and to reach a satisfactory level of mutual comprehensibility with other mechs) indicated that increased speech volume levels beyond the base rate, tended to create negative emotions in mechs and had high probabilities of alienating them, rather than convincing them to align them to cooperate.

Shockwave turned his one optic towards Megatron, who validated the data by reacting with his own raised voice, his fists slamming the table as he hotly negated Starscream's statements on the usefulness of the local enslaved civilization. All indications of an anger-reaction aroused far beyond what would be logical simply based on the content of Starscream's statements. The "snide tone" that Megatron accused the Seeker of taking, the increased volume, had to be major components.

Shockwave didn't understand it. His leader's logic was generally sound, if simplistic and sometimes warped by emotional whims. If Starscream so frequently created negative reactions in their leader, why did Megatron not simply rid himself of the annoying Seeker? Megatron's arguments with Starscream almost never resulted in a favorable outcome. And Starscream's treacherous and contradictory actions usually evenly negated his talents and expertise, in the long run. There were several candidates for the position that would produce a higher net gain in productivity and success than Starscream.

Yet Megatron had reacted with anger and suspicion when Shockwave had, early in the war, made the entirely logical suggestion that he be replaced with Acid Storm or Thundercracker. The two often baffled him. He had considered undertaking a deeper research into Cybertronian psychology to better understand them, but the opportunity cost was always too high: it would not raise his own success rates enough to make it worth taking time from other projects that would contribute more to the cause.

Across the table, Soundwave waited in patient silence for the exchange of verbal blows to end, his visor calm but alert in case the blows became physical and he might need to step in in defense of their beloved leader.

Soundwave, at least, could be counted on to increase the net productivity of these meetings—as well as nearly every other project or action he was involved in. Never irrational or emotional, steadfastly loyal to the cause without question, and competent and skilled in his area of expertise. His objectives aligned with Shockwave's 98.2% of the time, and their mutual cooperation increased their chances of success. Their productivity rates increased exponentially the longer they worked together.

Soundwave was an extremely predictable factor in Shockwave's life. Others might have used the more emotional term "reliable" to describe the mech, but to Shockwave they were much the same. Predictable was good. Predictable allowed you to make plans and be certain they would reach fruition. Predictable did not baffle, or puzzle, or require extra processing power or time to understand. Soundwave was highly logical: his actions and words made sense, flowed from one another in understandable patterns that were orderly and efficient, chosen to raise probability of success and to maximize productivity in order to reach their goal.

Soundwave was a veritable rock in the stormy sea of the Decepticon Army, although Shockwave would never think of him (or anything else) in such a poetic and imprecise manner.

It was then, in the nanokliks when a null ray missed Megatron's gray plating by half a mechanometer, and a clenching black fist decidedly did not miss the elegant wing it plunged toward, that Shockwave made up his mind. It was not an impulse triggered by the highly charged events of the command room, but rather the inevitable conclusion of the cost-benefit analysis he had been running in the background of his processor for several orns now. When you worked with a mech for a millennia of vorns, you had a lot of data to sift through.

There was no sudden jerking of Shockwave's helm in an "A-ha!" gesture. Nor did his single yellow optic glow brighter. Yet deep inside, unnoticed by him, his calm, logical spark flared just slightly, throwing off a little more warmth. The temperature variance was less then 0.0002 degrees, and thus was within stable operating parameters, and thus, did not trigger an alert in Shockwave's processor.

And yet it was logged.

The door to Soundwave's quarters slid open nanoklicks after the doorbell was pressed, the bland, neutral chime still sounding throughout the room from the mech's initial press. Most mechs that sought him simply knocked, although very few Decepticons ever visited Soundwave in his den. Soundwave had been notified of Shockwave's incipient approach long before the big purple mech was in sight of the door. Shockwave was not categorized as a threat, but as a member of high command he was always a person of interest, and his uncharacteristic deviation of his usual path—from laboratory to staff meetings, to laboratory and back, with few variations—was enough to catch the attention of the Cassettes' monitoring the video feeds.

Now Soundwave stared, impassive, at Shockwave's equally blank visage in the doorway. Polite, monotone greetings were exchanged and Shockwave was offered a seat at the small table in Soundwave's quarters. Soundwave did not bother initiating small-talk: he did not feel the need for it and knew that Shockwave likewise did not care to waste time on empty activities.

So once they were seated, he said, with no rudeness intended and none perceived, "Shockwave: state purpose."

"I have a proposal I wish to make to you." Shockwave said, laying a datapad on the table and pushing it towards Soundwave.

Soundwave picked up the datapad, powering it on. His curiosity was awoken: were it any other Decepticon coming to him about a "proposal" he would suspect an invitation to join in treachery; Shockwave, however, had always been as faultlessly loyal as himself, and seemed to have little desire for power for its own sake. Soundwave's optics scanned the documents on the datapad thoroughly, noting that they seemed to be little more than comparative analysis of production and success rates on various projects of Shockwave's, Soundwave's, and of one's they collaborated together on.

"Point: taken. Shockwave and Soundwave have high rates of success when working together. What is the project?"

"While my proposal may seem unexpected, given that the usual precursors to such a relationship are absent, I would like to propose...a sparkbond, between you and I." Shockwave said.

Soundwave froze. It was not noticeable, since he wasn't an expressive mech. He stared at Shockwave blankly. His cassette expressed his emotions perfectly however.

A loud "WHAT?" came from the berth where Frenzy had been feigning recharge.

Soundwave invented a cycle of air. "Shockwave: repeat?" he said finally.

"I would like to propose a sparkbond." Shockwave said.

From anyone else, Soundwave might have suspected a joke. Yet his telepathy detected no hint of humor or mischief coming from the large purple mech across from him. Only serious, calm earnestness.

"There are many benefits to such a relationship," Shockwave continued, "and virtually no negative side-effects."

Frenzy stormed over to the table, hopping right up on the surface and placing himself between the two mechs.

"Why would the boss wanna bond to YOU, One-Eye?" Frenzy demanded, putting his hands on his tiny hips and leaning into the scientist's personal space.

Shockwave did not seem put out by the reaction. He had anticipated it.

"Frenzy: desist." Soundwave said.

"Hmph." Frenzy hopped off the table. "And I thought you were s'posed to be all logical. Coming in here with a crazy marriage proposal...you're outta your circuits." he muttered, stalking back over to the berth. He sat on it and glared at Shockwave.

Shockwave began making his case. "The benefits, that the little one inquired of, are many. We would have an increased ability to collaborate on a larger number of projects, which would contribute to an overall greater rate of success for the Decepticon Army, and higher rates of productivity in many sectors."

Soundwave listened, not yet convinced. Although he was not a sentimental mech, a sparkbond was a deep thing, a serious commitment, that tied a mech to another for their entire lives, with few exceptions. They could be privy to one another's thoughts and emotions, and their fates would be seriously intertwined. Killing one would likely kill the other, and if Soundwave died, his cassettes would follow him.

Shockwave continued on. "As communications head, I am sure you can fully appreciate the benefits a sparkbond would bring. Communication between members of high command is essential. With us often being separated by vast distances of space, an unbreakable line of communication between two distant members of high command would be invaluable."

Soundwave tilted his head, listening. Shockwave wasn't wrong. He was also due to ship out in two weeks, back to Cybertron to serve as governor while the rest of the Decepticon military continued to expand Decepticon interstellar control. Breakdowns in the lines of communication, even temporary ones, could have devastating effects on logistical and military coordination. That was part of why Soundwave was so valuable an officer.

"Proposition: dangerous. Death of one sparkmate: mutually fatal. Damage to Cause if both extinguish, irreparable."

Shockwave's single yellow optic gleamed at him. Soundwave suspected he'd anticipated Soundwave's objection, and was pleased the conversation was following the course he'd formulated. It was not going to go the way he'd planned though, and Soundwave was glad at least, that Shockwave disdained emotional reactions and would not react badly to being rejected, or hold a grudge.

"It's true that one sparkmate's death often follows another. There are many factors that outweigh that risk however.

The risk of one dying along with their sparkmate can be mitigated greatly by an action that is known both in popular wisdom and proven in case studies: the openness of the bond at the time of death and the synchronicity of the sparks both increase the chances of mutual fatality. We could greatly reduce the possibility of mutual death simply by keeping the bond closed in times of great personal danger, and by not synchronizing our sparks frequently through sparkmerging."

"Soundwave: would like to see data." he said.

"Of course. I am sending you my complete data packet on it now, with a summation of the most relevant studies." Shockwave said.

Soundwave was immediately greeted by the ping of a data packet to his HUD, and initiated download and decryption of it.

"In regards to the Cause, my estimations show that the death of either one of us, singular, would cause equally irreparable damage to the Decepticon Cause as a plural, mutual death would cause. We are both literally irreplaceable; the chances of the Cause surviving the absence of either of us for long are terrifyingly low."

Now that was worrying to hear.

"However, my calculations indicate that a sparkbond between us, and the increased cooperation and communication it would allow, would serve to increase our chances of each of us surviving the war. A sparkbond between us would increase chances of preserving and advancing the Cause, not destroy it." Shockwave paused. "I will send you a packet of the data and algorithms used to calculate the risk, so that you may assess its validity. Do you have any further questions?"

Soundwave couldn't believe he was actually considering it. But no dishonesty was detected from Shockwave, and Soundwave knew the scientist was skilled and logical enough to have decided on such a course of action only if it really were a good, mutually beneficial decision. He would still assess the data. And get input from his cassettes.

"Shockwave: aware of symbiote bonds?" Soundwave asked. His cassettes were part of the package. He had many would-be suitors and even past lovers who had been unable to accept that the cassettes were part of the family, and had to be just as accepted and cared for as Soundwave was.

"I am fully aware of the nature of symbiote bonds and of the relationship between a host and their cassettes. Your cassettes' safety and well-being would be as much of a concern to me as you yourself would be." Shockwave said.

That was a relief. Soundwave had one other concern. It was not a deal breaker, but was certainly a factor.

"Shockwave: would expect interfacing?"

"We could engage in interfacing if you desired it. I have no need for interfacing myself."

"Soundwave: similarly inclined."

Soundwave could feel a soft wave of approval from Shockwave. The other mech's emotions were always muted, low-intensity things, but they were there.

"I would expect our relationship to change very little, the exception being the aforementioned benefits like the increased ability to collaborate, and a greater investment in each other's survival."

Soundwave nodded, showing his understanding. "Shockwave: should expect answer within the orn." Soundwave said.

Shockwave rose from his seat. "Thank you for hearing me out, Soundwave. I hope that you will come to the only logical conclusion." with that, he walked out the door.

Before the door swooshed close behind him, he heard an aggrieved cassette wailing,

"You can't possibility be considering it, boss!".


	2. Chapter 2

p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Deep in the bowels of Decepticon flagship, in a cramped, dark room far away from prying eyes, yet containing the most prying of all eyes, was Soundwave. He sat hunched over the terminal, the bright screen light casting a glare on his visor and faceplate. He was not alone in his lonely work. Ravage lay coiled at his feet, half in a doze, enjoying her off shift./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Her calm, contented mood soothed Soundwave's unsettled one. He was still working over the positives and negatives of Shockwave's offer as he worked. No matter how often he tore his mind off it to better focus on the routine tasks he was performing, his mind would inevitably drift back to it, probing it like a glossa would a sore, loose denta. Even though he had already decided to turn the mech down./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The math might check out. The decision might be the best on paper. But it was still tying himself to another mech for eternity. One might think that Soundwave, a mech who had always been bonded to several mechs, would be unmoved by the commitment of adding another, but if anything, it made him more wary. His decision would impact all of them. And Shockwave, unlike his cassettes, had been a full, independent mech for many vorns, existing without bond or family./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"How adding such a mech would affect the careful balance that existed in his little family, Soundwave could not predict. Soundwave was the leader of his little group, but he could not lead Shockwave, who would be in an equal./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"No, he decided firmly, as his hands danced over the console keys, he would have to invite Shockwave into his quarters later. For a firm rejection. At his feet, Ravage cracked one optic open, the red light cast on Soundwave's metal showing her a distorted reflection of her own amused faceplates./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"~br /The invitation to his quarters, short but polite, had been sent out. But when Shockwave knocked at the Communication Officer's door, no one answered. The purple mech cast his one optic around the ship's hallway, searching for any evidence that would explain why he was getting no response. Of all the probabilities he had formulated for how this encounter would go, a complete absence of any mech in Soundwave's quarters had not even made the list of real possibilities. Soundwave was on time for his appointments 98.6% of the time./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He waited a suitable amount of time (two minutes, which might seem short, but he was a very busy mech) and then turned around and, in a rare state of perplexity, began walking back to the labs on the lower deck./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"~/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"It seemed to have been pure bad luck that put the Autobot guerrillas on a path through the same village where Rumble and Frenzy had been laying communications cable. There had been a small contingent of Decepticon grunts with them, but the only trouble anyone had expected was from the still restive native population. There was no evidence yet that the local population had collaborated with the guerrillas to have them sabotage the communication team's efforts./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Soundwave hadn't interrogated the natives personally though. Yet. He had been en route to the scene as soon as word got to him—and it had came to him first. The local flora and atmosphere served to dampen signals and that area, not yet upgraded, kept calls for backup from getting out through the Decepticon's comm units./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Rumble and Frenzy, however, had something far more reliable and unbreakable than a comm suite. They had the symbiont bond, which they used to alert Soundwave as soon as it became clear that there would be no response through traditional channels./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Soundwave had wasted no time in getting to his imperiled cassettes, yet by the time he arrived on the scene with backup, the battle had already been won—at great cost. The Autobot guerrillas had been decimated, only a few bloody survivors fleeing back into the shelter of the strange mossy woods to bother the Decepticons again one day. The rest had been slaughtered. Yet no few Decepticon bodies lay bleeding out and lifeless among them./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"For such a small action, the aftermath was extremely gory, puddles of energon drying in the harsh overhead sunlight, severed and crushed limbs laying not far from their original owners. They had fought bitterly. But Soundwave had no time to reflect on the atrocities of war, wouldn't even waste precious nanokliks stepping around sticky puddles or grayed out corpses. He strode on, pink splashing at the bottom of his pedes now and then, droplets splattering his legs, until he came to where his very spark was calling him, singing with emotion through the symbiote bond./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"It wasn't Rumble's emotion though, Rumble's panic and terror and rush of whirled thoughts. It was Frenzy, who looked up as Soundwave rounded a corner, half-hidden by fallen bodies. His panic-filled visor lit up on seeing his Host, but his hands didn't so much as twitch. They remained rock steady, buried in Rumble's chest, pressed against his mercifully unconscious twin's spark chamber./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Soundwave could see the light of a spark glowing on Frenzy's small arms, reflecting off his metal, and his own spark trembled./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"~/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The hours passed glacially slow. Soundwave stood outside the medbay doors, his face and body arranged in his usual stoic, self-controlled manner. Not a hint of the inner turmoil that roiled within him could be seen. His symbionts better revealed the little group's mood: downcast faceplates, drooping beaks, and downturned tails were apparent./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Soundwave ruthlessly went over the details of the mission and the known facts about the area in an attempt to discern where he could have done better, what he could have done to have prevented his symbiont from being so endangered./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"There was nothing, but that soothed Soundwave not at all. The fact that they were at war and that Soundwave could only minimize risks so much, take so many steps to protect his symbionts, did nothing to stop the waves of guilt pouring from his spark at the sight of Rumble, tiny and nearly lifeless./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"If he were a religious mech, he would have prayed. But he was not. Primus, if he existed, did not step forward to perform miracles or save his creations from peril. And so he might as well not exist. Soundwave did not miss the uncomfortable parallel with his own situation. He was powerless to step in and save Rumble. That power lay in Hook's impersonal, perfectionist hands./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The medbay doors swished open, and Hook stepped out. His vaguely annoyed expression told Soundwave nothing. He could be irritated because of the Host-Cassette family crowding the medbay entrance, or because he'd just nicked the weakened laser core of the high-risk patient on the operating table. Soundwave knew Rumble could not have passed yet, because the pain that would have torn through the bond network could not be blocked, but that didn't mean Rumble was in the /His visor somehow managed to convey both hope and dread to the Constructicon across from him./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""He's stabilized." Hook said, his voice almost seeming to begrudge the Casseticon his recovery./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Soundwave didn't care. At that point, Hook could have did a handstand and pledged allegiance to Optimus Prime, and he wouldn't have noticed. His joints, locked with the tension, weakened in relief./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""You can see him now." Hook said./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Soundwave followed him into the medbay, doors swooshing shut behind him. The cassettes stayed behind, their red eyes glinting in the gloominess of the hall at any passerby, as they guarded the entrance. They had no need to follow behind their Host; they could see all that he could see./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"~/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Rumble was weak. He lay in the berth in Soundwave's quarters, unable to move more than a pathetic wiggle a few inches in each direction. His spark chamber was still healing, the patched section slathered in nanites to promote quickened healing. Regrowing that large a section of the chamber would take a long time to fully heal./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"It would be medically advisable, under most circumstances, for Rumble to remain in the medbay, with specialized equipment and medical staff readily on hand should his condition change. But Soundwave considered the medbay far too vulnerable a location for an extended stay. Soundwave did not make needless enemies, but his position and the disloyal plans of others ensured even a solitary mech like himself had plenty of people wanting to bury an energon blade in his back—and the best way to do that would be by taking out one of his cassettes. No other wound could be so disabling./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"So he had been moved, at Soundwave's insistence, back to their own room, which was marginally less boring to the small mech than the medbay would be. Hey, at least there was TV./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"And juicy conversations between members of High Command. Rumble was too weak to sit up (and boy, did that burn, although at least Frenzy was still too shocked and relieved to tease him about it.) but if he rolled his optical focus all the way to the left, he could make out the blue and purple forms of Soundwave and Shockwave sitting at the small table in the room./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"What was up? Were Starscream and Shockwave in another war against each other for scientific funding, and the Cyclops was fishing for Soundwave's support? Rumble's audios perked up when he heard Soundwave mention a "previous offer". Now what was that about?/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Soundwave: has considered previous offer." the blue Host droned out./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Yes?" Shockwave said, leaning forward slightly./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Soundwave: will accept."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I knew you would come to the logical conclusion." Shockwave said. His one golden optic glowed with approving happiness./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Hey, Boss, what's this offer?" Rumble commed to Soundwave. Soundwave duly ignored it./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Suggestion: finalize arrangement in Shockwave's quarters. Interruptions: less likely." Soundwave said to Shockwave./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Interruptions" meant Cassettes—they all knew it./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Rumble started comming the other cassettes, he couldn't stand being left out of the loop (none of them could). Ravage's response was a loud snarl, and a rudely abrupt closing of the comm line. Buzzsaw and Laserbeak simply sent back little pings, a sort of "acknowledged, but I can't talk right now". All of Rumble's siblings were engaged in surveillance or in maintenance of the communications equipment. Frenzy was doing the latter./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""What do you want bro? I'm trying to get this slaggin' transmitter working again." Frenzy grumbled down the line, frustration evident in his voice, but willing to put his work aside for a moment for his nearly-dead brother./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""What's this 'offer' Shockwave is making to Soundwave?" Rumble asked, still eaten up with curiosity./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Frenzy stilled. "Offer?" he asked slowly./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Don't tell me you don't know!" Rumble wailed. Or at least tried to. He didn't really have the energy for a wail. It was more of a plaintive whine./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""What did he say about this offer?" Frenzy asked. "I thought the Boss wasn't considering it anymore."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""He said he accepted it," Rumble said impatiently, "now what is it?" he demanded./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"But his curiosity was destined to go unsatisfied, as the line dropped with a click./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"A half a mile from the Decepticon flag ship, a small red and gray mech dropped a pair of pliers to the ground with a curse, and began pelting towards the Decepticon headquarters at top speed./p 


End file.
